MON – SWIMMING AND DIVING WOMEN + DIVING MAN
- Wednesday, February 17 – Saturday, February 20, 2021
- W Swimming: Gabrielsen Natatorium – Athens, GA (east time zone)
- W&M Dive: Mizzou Aquatics Center – Columbia, MO (Central Time Zone)
- Champion defender: Tennessee (1x) (results)
- Live Scores – Meet Mobile
- Live Video – SEC Network
- Central Championship
- Psychology Sheets
We arrived in the postseason after an entire NCAA season in the midst of the pandemic, and tonight marks the first 2021 SEC Women’s Championship final session. In addition to the COVID-19 precautionary restrictions and the non-spectator rule, this year is different because the male and female competitions, traditionally combined and over five days of competition, are separated into two different four-day competitions.
Tonight will be the 200 medley relay and 800 final timed free relays. An extremely competitive conference, this year’s SEC Championship will see Georgia lead the charge against defending champion Tennessee. Georgia hasn’t won since 2015, while Tennessee’s 2020 title took a four-year streak from Texas A&M and was Lady Vols’ first conference crown.
Tennessee won both relays on the first night of competition last year. Mizzou holds the seed in the medley 200 tonight (1: 36.00) and Georgia in the 800 (7: 03.94).
200 MEDLEY RELAY – TIMED END
- SEC Registration – 1: 34,26, Tennessee 2019
- NCAA qualification cut – 1: 36.40
- 2020 Champion – Tennessee, 1: 35.38
- Alabama 1: 34.68
- Mizzou 1: 35,61
- Kentucky 1: 35.87
Both the second and third rounds ended with unofficial results, with the match officials checking the video’s analysis for multiple disqualifications. After the end of the three batteries, it was announced that Auburn and Georgia would be defeated. Georgia finished second with 1: 35.49 before its relay was called for an early takeoff.
Alabama was stellar in this relay, as Rhyan White detonated a 23.35 in the lead in the second heat of three (teams are spaced on all other lanes for the COVID-19 security protocol), making it the second fastest 50 backstroker in SCY history. Only Maggie MacNeil Michigan was faster (23.05), and White overtakes Rachel Bootsma from slot # 2 earlier (33.36). Kaila Wong was 27.35 in the chest leg, followed by a powerful flying leg 22.45 in Morgan Scott and a strong anchor 21.53 of Cora Dupre by breaking the school record in almost two seconds.
Mizzou, who led the SEC by going to this meeting at 1: 36.00, came in second at 1: 35.61, while Kentucky was the only other team below 1:36 at 1: 35.87. Mizzou got a flying leg of 22.42 in Sarah Thompson, while Kentucky had a 23.92 Caitlin Brooks and an anchor 21.58 of Riley Gaines. It’s a huge jump for Kentucky, which dropped 11th last year with the same four legs. Kentucky also took almost a second off its old school record, a 1: 36.75 from the start of this season.
Tennessee was fourth tonight at 1: 36.41, just 0.01 out of the automatic qualifying standard in this relay, earning a 26.64 chest leg from the freshman Mona McSharry and a 21.43 senior anchor Bailey Grinter, while Texas A&M ranked fifth at 1: 37.49, its relay consisting of Kara Eisenmann and three freshmen. Star freshman Chloe Stepanek anchored Aggies with a 21.63.
Florida (1: 37.83) and Arkansas (1: 37.92) broke 1:38, like freshmen Cecilia Porter dropped a 26.90 chest leg for the Gators.
800 FREE RELAY – TIMED END
- SEC Registration – 6: 52.54, Georgia 2013
- NCAA qualifying cut – 7:00.86
- 2020 Champion – Tennessee, 6: 53.27
- Kentucky – 6: 58.58
- Florida – 6: 58.91
- Georgia – 6: 59.42
In the final heat, a four-way battle ensued between Kentucky and Alabama on the outer lanes and Florida and Georgia on the inner lanes.
Kentucky managed to hold on in the end, taking a 1: 45.22 advantage from Izzy Gati, 1: 45,14 of Kaitlynn Wheeler, 1: 45,78 of Sophie Sorenson and a great second hand of 1: 42.44 from Riley Gaines.
Florida was 6: 58.91 for the second, with a large front half of Talia Bates (1: 43.38) and Katie Mack (1: 44.85), while Georgia recovered from the medley DQ relay with 6: 59.42 for third place. Courtney Harnish was 1: 42.96, an important start and a better new life for a few tenths, and Zoie Hartman anchored in a 1: 43.54. Bates, meanwhile, lost Caroline Burckle’s UF record of 1: 43.10 in 2008.
Alabama was also solid in fourth place, going 7: 01.36 and getting a 1: 43.69 advantage Morgan Scott who breaks his own school record. The relay also broke a school record.
After losing in the second heat, Tennessee got a great anchor of 1: 42.91 Tjasa Pintar after three 1: 46’s to push them to Texas A&M, which led the vast majority of the race. Tennessee came in fourth at 7: 02.41.
Freshman Chloe Stepanek dropped the best 1: 43.36 to propel Texas A&M to fifth overall tonight with a 7: 02.93.
1 METER DIVE END
- SEC Registration – 364.30, Lauren Reedy (Mizzou) 2017
- 2020 Champion – Alison Maillard (Auburn), 364.15
TEAM SCORE
Does not include diving, which has not yet started
- Kentucky 118
- Alabama 116
- Florida 104
- Tennessee 102
- Texas A&M 98
- Missouri 96
- LSU 84
- Arkansas 80
- South Carolina 76
- Vanderbilt 64
- Georgia 54
- Auburn 46